Idioms add color and creativity to the way we speak. When we talk about animals in idioms, we’re not always referring to the actual creatures—these phrases are symbolic and often have meanings far from the literal words. Animal idioms are especially fun to learn because they’re vivid, quirky, and often quite memorable.
Whether you’re writing a story, having a conversation, or just want to understand more English expressions, animal idioms can help you sound more natural and fluent. In this article, we’ll explore 47 idioms that include animals, explain what they mean, and show how to use them. You’ll also get a mini quiz at the end to test your skills and boost your vocabulary. Ready to go wild with words? Let’s dive in!
Animal Idioms
1. Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: To accidentally reveal a secret.
In a Sentence: I let the cat out of the bag about Sarah’s surprise party.
Other Ways to Say: Spill the beans, Reveal the secret
2. Barking up the wrong tree
Meaning: To make a wrong assumption or pursue the wrong path.
In a Sentence: If you think I broke your phone, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Other Ways to Say: Mistaken, Wrongly accusing
3. The lion’s share
Meaning: The largest portion.
In a Sentence: She did most of the work, so she deserves the lion’s share of the credit.
Other Ways to Say: The biggest part, The majority
4. Hold your horses
Meaning: Wait a moment or be patient.
In a Sentence: Hold your horses—we’re not leaving until everyone is ready.
Other Ways to Say: Slow down, Be patient
5. Kill two birds with one stone
Meaning: Achieve two things at once.
In a Sentence: By taking notes during class, I kill two birds with one stone—I stay focused and study later.
Other Ways to Say: Be efficient, Solve two problems at once
6. The elephant in the room
Meaning: A big problem or issue that everyone is ignoring.
In a Sentence: We need to talk about the elephant in the room—our missing project deadline.
Other Ways to Say: Obvious issue, Unspoken problem
7. Wild goose chase
Meaning: A pointless or hopeless pursuit.
In a Sentence: Looking for my lost earring in the grass felt like a wild goose chase.
Other Ways to Say: Waste of time, Hopeless search
8. Let sleeping dogs lie
Meaning: Avoid restarting old conflicts or issues.
In a Sentence: Just let sleeping dogs lie and don’t bring up last week’s argument.
Other Ways to Say: Leave it alone, Don’t stir things up
9. Pig out
Meaning: To eat a lot of food.
In a Sentence: We pigged out on pizza and ice cream at the sleepover.
Other Ways to Say: Overeat, Feast
10. A fish out of water
Meaning: Someone who feels out of place.
In a Sentence: I felt like a fish out of water at the dance class—I don’t know any steps!
Other Ways to Say: Uncomfortable, Out of place
11. Chicken out
Meaning: To back out of something due to fear.
In a Sentence: I was going to ride the rollercoaster, but I chickened out at the last second.
Other Ways to Say: Lose courage, Back off
12. Cat got your tongue?
Meaning: Used when someone is unusually quiet.
In a Sentence: You’ve been silent since you got home—cat got your tongue?
Other Ways to Say: Why so quiet?, Speechless?
13. Take the bull by the horns
Meaning: To deal with a difficult situation directly.
In a Sentence: It’s time to take the bull by the horns and finish your homework.
Other Ways to Say: Face it head-on, Be brave
14. Cry wolf
Meaning: To raise a false alarm.
In a Sentence: If you keep crying wolf, no one will believe you when it’s real.
Other Ways to Say: False warning, Alarm for no reason
15. Busy as a bee
Meaning: Extremely busy or hardworking.
In a Sentence: She’s been busy as a bee preparing for the school play.
Other Ways to Say: Very active, Always working
16. The black sheep
Meaning: A person who is different or doesn’t fit in with the group.
In a Sentence: He’s the black sheep of the family because he chose a very different career.
Other Ways to Say: Outcast, Odd one out
17. Go to the dogs
Meaning: To get worse or decline.
In a Sentence: That restaurant has really gone to the dogs since new management took over.
Other Ways to Say: Fall apart, Decline in quality
18. Curiosity killed the cat
Meaning: Being too curious can lead to trouble.
In a Sentence: Don’t open that old box—remember, curiosity killed the cat.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t snoop, Be careful with curiosity
19. Straight from the horse’s mouth
Meaning: Directly from the original or most reliable source.
In a Sentence: I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth—the teacher is giving us a surprise quiz.
Other Ways to Say: Direct source, First-hand
20. Ruffle someone’s feathers
Meaning: To upset or annoy someone.
In a Sentence: He ruffled her feathers by making fun of her favorite TV show.
Other Ways to Say: Irritate, Annoy
21. Like a bull in a china shop
Meaning: Very clumsy or careless in a delicate situation.
In a Sentence: He walked into the museum like a bull in a china shop, knocking everything over.
Other Ways to Say: Careless, Clumsy
22. Monkey see, monkey do
Meaning: Copying someone without understanding why.
In a Sentence: Kids often behave like monkey see, monkey do.
Other Ways to Say: Imitate blindly, Copycat behavior
23. Fishy
Meaning: Suspicious or not quite right.
In a Sentence: His excuse for missing class sounds fishy to me.
Other Ways to Say: Suspicious, Doesn’t add up
24. Watch like a hawk
Meaning: To observe very closely.
In a Sentence: The lifeguard watched the pool like a hawk.
Other Ways to Say: Keep a close eye, Observe carefully
25. Get someone’s goat
Meaning: To annoy or irritate someone.
In a Sentence: It really gets my goat when people chew loudly.
Other Ways to Say: Bother, Bug
26. Ants in your pants
Meaning: Unable to stay still due to excitement or nervousness.
In a Sentence: He had ants in his pants before his big performance.
Other Ways to Say: Jittery, Fidgety
27. Top dog
Meaning: The most important or powerful person.
In a Sentence: After winning the contest, she became the top dog of the art club.
Other Ways to Say: Leader, In charge
28. In the doghouse
Meaning: In trouble or out of favor.
In a Sentence: I forgot our anniversary and now I’m in the doghouse.
Other Ways to Say: In trouble, Not in good standing
29. Smell a rat
Meaning: To suspect something is wrong or dishonest.
In a Sentence: I smell a rat—someone tampered with my locker.
Other Ways to Say: Something’s off, Feel suspicious
30. One-trick pony
Meaning: Someone or something with only one talent or ability.
In a Sentence: He’s great at impressions, but he’s kind of a one-trick pony.
Other Ways to Say: Limited skill, Only good at one thing
31. Wolf in sheep’s clothing
Meaning: Someone who seems nice but is actually dangerous or dishonest.
In a Sentence: Be careful—he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Other Ways to Say: Fake friend, Pretender
32. Sly as a fox
Meaning: Very clever or sneaky.
In a Sentence: She was sly as a fox when she figured out the surprise.
Other Ways to Say: Smart, Tricky
33. Quiet as a mouse
Meaning: Very quiet or silent.
In a Sentence: The baby was quiet as a mouse during the whole movie.
Other Ways to Say: Silent, Still
34. Like water off a duck’s back
Meaning: No effect at all.
In a Sentence: The insults rolled off him like water off a duck’s back.
Other Ways to Say: Didn’t bother, No reaction
35. Have butterflies in your stomach
Meaning: Feeling nervous or anxious.
In a Sentence: I had butterflies in my stomach before the big test.
Other Ways to Say: Feel jittery, Anxious
36. Until the cows come home
Meaning: For a very long time.
In a Sentence: We could argue about this until the cows come home.
Other Ways to Say: Forever, Endlessly
37. Cat nap
Meaning: A short sleep during the day.
In a Sentence: I took a quick cat nap before studying.
Other Ways to Say: Short rest, Power nap
38. Chicken scratch
Meaning: Messy or hard-to-read handwriting.
In a Sentence: I can’t read your notes—they look like chicken scratch!
Other Ways to Say: Illegible writing, Scribbles
39. The early bird catches the worm
Meaning: Those who act quickly or arrive early get the best results.
In a Sentence: She wakes up at 5 a.m.—the early bird catches the worm!
Other Ways to Say: Be early, Get ahead
40. Like herding cats
Meaning: Very difficult to manage or control a group.
In a Sentence: Trying to get the kids to line up was like herding cats.
Other Ways to Say: Hard to organize, Unmanageable
41. Wolf down
Meaning: To eat something very quickly.
In a Sentence: He wolfed down his lunch in five minutes.
Other Ways to Say: Gobble, Devour
42. A little bird told me
Meaning: Used to indicate you heard a secret from someone, without naming them.
In a Sentence: A little bird told me it’s your birthday tomorrow.
Other Ways to Say: Secret source, Heard it quietly
43. As stubborn as a mule
Meaning: Extremely stubborn and unwilling to change.
In a Sentence: He’s as stubborn as a mule when it comes to cleaning his room.
Other Ways to Say: Hard-headed, Set in their ways
44. Play possum
Meaning: To pretend to be asleep or inactive.
In a Sentence: I think she’s awake but playing possum so she doesn’t have to help.
Other Ways to Say: Fake sleeping, Pretend
45. Be the guinea pig
Meaning: To be the first person to try something new.
In a Sentence: I was the guinea pig for the new science experiment.
Other Ways to Say: Test subject, First to try
46. Crocodile tears
Meaning: Fake or insincere crying.
In a Sentence: Don’t fall for her crocodile tears—she’s not really sorry.
Other Ways to Say: Fake sadness, Pretend emotions
47. Get your ducks in a row
Meaning: To get organized or prepared.
In a Sentence: I need to get my ducks in a row before exams start.
Other Ways to Say: Be ready, Get organized
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blanks:
- Before the meeting, I had to get my _______ in a row to sound professional.
- Don’t believe her—those were just _______ tears to get attention.
- I totally _______ down my dinner—I was starving!
- His excuses for missing school seem kind of _______ to me.
- I’m not naming names, but a little _______ told me you were the one who won the contest.
- She looked so calm, but I know she had _______ in her stomach before her speech.
- I tried talking to all the kids at once, but it was like herding _______.
- I forgot my mom’s birthday and now I’m in the _______.
- They were copying everything we did—total monkey _______, monkey do!
- He looked like a _______ out of water in that new school.
- The teacher watched us like a _______ during the exam.
- You’ve been so quiet—cat got your _______?
Answers:
ducks, crocodile, wolfed, fishy, bird, butterflies, cats, doghouse, see, fish, hawk, tongue
Conclusion
Animal idioms are more than just fun expressions—they bring imagination and life into everyday conversations. By learning and using these 47 idioms, you’ll better understand the language around you and add flair to how you speak and write.
Try using a few of these phrases in your next conversation or writing assignment. Whether you’re feeling as sly as a fox or busy as a bee, there’s an idiom for every mood and moment. Keep practicing, stay curious, and let your vocabulary grow wild!
